Cumulative Hepatoprotective, Antihyperlipidemic and Antioxidant Effects of Methanolic Seeds Extract of Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo, Cucumis sativus, and Cucurbita maxima With GC-MS Profile.

The complex pathophysiological mechanism of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) disease has made the prevention and treatment of the disease problematic. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the cumulative hepatoprotective, antihyperlipidemic as well as antioxidant actions of methanolic seed extracts of Citrullus lanatus (CL), Cucumis melo (CM), Cucumis sativus (CS), and Cucurbita maxima (CuM) in NAFLD induced by a high-fat diet along with 20% fructose water in a rat model. A total of 40 male Wistar rats were kept in five groups. Group I (control) rats received 5% Tween 80; Group II (Negative control) rats were given a high-fat meal with a 20% fructose solution; Groups III and IV received a combination of methanolic seed extract at a dose of 250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively, + high-fat diet/20% fructose water, while Group V (Positive control) received Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg) and Metformin (200 mg/kg) with a high-fat diet and 20% fructose. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 60 days for analysis. The findings demonstrated that, in comparison to Group II, the administration of the combination of seed extracts at the dose of 500 mg/kg substantially (p < 0.05) reduced body weight, liver weight, serum cholesterol, TG, LDL, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, and blood glucose. In contrast, HDL, SOD, and CAT levels increased. The results from GC-MS data reveal the occurrence of hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (methyl palmitate) as well as 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid) in abundance. The presence of these compounds might be responsible for hepatoprotective, antihyperlipidemic, and antioxidant activities.